Decorations Presented to Canadian Armed Forces Members

September 27, 2017

Governor General Presents Decorations to Canadian Armed Forces Members

OTTAWA—Earlier today, His Excellency the Right Honourable David Johnston, Governor General and Commander-in-Chief of Canada, presented 1 Medal of Bravery and 2 Meritorious Service Medals (Military Division), to members of the Canadian Special Operations Forces Command (CANSOFCOM), during a ceremony at Rideau Hall. General Jonathan Vance, Chief of the Defence Staff, was also in attendance.

The recipients were recognized for acts of bravery in hazardous circumstances and for outstanding professionalism and for bringing honour to the Canadian Armed Forces and to Canada.

For security and operational reasons, recipients’ names and citations will not be released. Additional information on Decorations for Bravery and Meritorious Service Decorations is attached.

The Decorations for Bravery were created in 1972. They recognize people who risk their lives and choose to defy their own instinct of survival to try to save a loved one or a perfect stranger whose life is in immediate danger.

The three levels of the Decorations for Bravery reflect the degree to which the recipients put themselves at risk:

The Cross of Valour (C.V.) recognizes acts of the most conspicuous courage in circumstances of extreme peril.

TheStar of Courage (S.C.) recognizes acts of conspicuous courage in circumstances of great peril.

Anyone is free to propose the name of a person who has risked injury or death in an attempt to rescue another person. The incident need not have taken place in Canada, and the rescuer need not be Canadian, but Canadians or Canadian interests must be involved. The decorations may be awarded posthumously.

Nominations must be made within two years of the incident, or within two years after a public entity, including a court, a quasi-judicial tribunal or a coroner, has concluded its review of the circumstances surrounding the incident or act of bravery.

FACT SHEET ON MERITORIOUS SERVICE DECORATIONS

The Meritorious Service Decorations include a military division and a civil division, with two levels each: a medal and a cross. The military division recognizes individuals for their outstanding professionalism and for bringing honour to the Canadian Armed Forces and to Canada. The civil division recognizes individuals who have performed an exceptional deed or an activity that brought honour to the community or to Canada.

The Meritorious Service Cross (Military Division) recognizes a military deed or activity that has been performed in an outstandingly professional manner, according to a rare high standard that brings considerable benefit or great honour to the Canadian Armed Forces.

The Meritorious Service Medal (Military Division) recognizes a military deed or activity performed in a highly professional manner, according to a very high standard that brings benefit or honour to the Canadian Armed Forces.

These decorations are an important part of the Canadian Honours System, which recognizes excellence. Meritorious Service Decorations honour either a single achievement or an activity over a specified period. The Meritorious Service Decorations are open to both Canadians and non-Canadians.

Anyone may nominate an individual for the civil division of the Meritorious Service Decorations, while military candidates are recommended by the chief of the Defence Staff. Nominations and awards may be made posthumously, but nominations for activities that occurred prior to June 1984, the year in which the honour was first created, are not accepted.